One Third of Canadians Are Planning a Trip This Summer

Ipsos Reid: Expedia Summer Travel Survey

May 2, 2006, Toronto, ON – A new Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of Expedia.ca finds that one-third (34%) of Canadians are planning to take a trip this summer and, on average, they’ll take two trips. In addition, 41% of anticipated summer travellers say they plan to take more trips than last summer and another 36% plan to take the same amount.

Where do they plan to travel to? Most (67%) will stay in Canada–37% will vacation in another province and 33% will stay in their own province. Other planned summer vacation destinations include the US (16%) and Europe (6%).

Some may consider taking a “City Break” to a major city this summer. Six in ten (59%) anticipated summer travellers say they would find a 3-4 day “City Break” appealing; in fact, 51% of all Canadians find it appealing. Moreover, 45% of anticipated summer travellers took a “City Break” last summer (31% of all Canadians did).

And, some may consider putting a tax refund towards a summer vacation. When informed that the average tax refund Canadians received in 2005 was $1,100 and asked to imagine that they were to receive a refund of the same amount this year, 55% of anticipated travellers say they would be likely to put all or some of it towards a vacation or weekend getaway this summer. Among all Canadians, four in ten (37%) say they would be likely to do so.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid/Expedia.ca survey conducted from April 4 to April 6, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within �f???3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample’s regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

One-Third of Canadians Are Planning a Trip This Summer

One-third (34%) of Canadians are planning to take a trip this summer, that is sometime between Victoria Day and Labour Day. Six in ten (61%) say they will not take a trip this summer and another 5% are still unsure. In this case, a summer trip refers to a “getaway other than a visit to the cottage or a stay with a relative”.

* Upper income Canadians with an annual household income of $60,000 or greater are more likely than others to be planning a trip this summer (42% vs. 30%).

Those Canadians planning a trip this summer will take a mean average of 1.9 trips. Fifty-five percent will take one trip, 28%will take 2 trips, and 16% will take 3 or more trips.

Four in ten (41%) anticipated travellers say they plan to take more trips than last summer. In addition, 36% plan to take the same amount of trips, while 22% plan to take less.

Among all Canadians, 25% plan to take more trips, one-quarter (26%) plan to take the same amount of trips, and 45% plan to take fewer trips.

Where Do They Plan To Travel To?

Most (67%) Canadians who plan to travel this summer will stay in Canada–37% will vacation in another province and 33% will stay in their own province. Sixteen percent plan to visit the US and 20% will go somewhere else, including Europe (6%), Mexico (2%), South America (1%), Australia/New Zealand (1%), and Asia (1%). Four percent don’t yet know where they will travel to.

Some May Consider Taking a “City Break” <>Six in ten (59%) anticipated summer travellers say they would find a 3-4 day “City Break” appealing (26% “very” and 33% “somewhat”). On the other hand, 41% would not find a “City Break” appealing (17% “not very” and 24% “not at all”).

Among all Canadians, appeal is split. Half would find it appealing (21% “very” and 29% “somewhat”), while the other half would not (16% “not very” and 33% “not at all).

Forty-five percent of anticipated travellers took a “City Break” last summer. And, among all Canadians, 31% took one.

And, Some May Consider Putting a Tax Refund Towards a Vacation

When informed that the average tax refund Canadians received in 2005 was $1,100 and asked to imagine that they were to receive a refund of the same amount this year, 55% of anticipated travellers say they would be likely (31% “very” and 24% “somewhat”) to put all or some of it towards a vacation or weekend getaway this summer. In comparison, 44% say it’s unlikely (19% “not very” and 25% “not at all”) that they would put a refund like this towards a summer trip.

Among all Canadians, four in ten (37%) say they would be likely (17% “very” and 20% “somewhat”) to put a $1,100 tax refund towards a vacation or weekend getaway this summer, whereas six in ten would be unlikely (19% “not very” and 43% “not at all”) to do so.

Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada’s market intelligence leader, the country’s leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid’s marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.